Surprising pre-game note from the NFL.com/Live coverage: the Rams haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season. Last year they allowed 10.
Great aggressive playcalling on the 83-yard bomb to Santonio Holmes. I think Holmes takes that one to the house if his ankle is 100%. Still, he looks more spry than he did in last week's game against the Jags.
Steven Jackson is a beast. This is the first time all year I've seen him look fully 100%. He's running like he did to close out last season.
Willie Parker carted off the field with a lower leg injury. That doesn't bode well for a quick return. If the league's leading rusher is out for awhile on the heels of defensive stalwart Aaron Smith's season-ending injury, the Steelers look like a one-and-out playoff team. Sideline reporter saying that Parker's X-Ray was brought to the sidelines and the reaction of his offensive teammates seemed to indicate something is seriously wrong with Parker's lower leg.
How cool is Hines Ward? One of my all-time favorite football players, he's just physically and mentally tougher than a wide receiver has any right to be.Bulger to Isaac Bruce for a TD. NFL network's Adam Shefter reported that Bruce has a $2M roster bonus due this March, which could lead to his release. Bruce said he'd just go play for Mike Martz in that case. Of course, the only problem with that scenario being that all reports out of Detroit indicate that Martz won't be back in 2008.
Roethlisberger continues to look great. I've always thought he was a better NFL QB than Carson Palmer, but now I believe he's also a better fantasy QB. I'm moving him up the rankings.
NFL Network studio guys Jamie Dukes and Rod Woodson are speculating that Parker's injury could actually help the Steelers by using Najeh Davenport in more of a Steeler-style power rushing attack. Interesting logic. I don't see how losing the league's leading rusher could be a good thing, but still, that's some interesting logic....And as I type this, Najeh is absolutely carving up the field on the current drive.
At footballguys.com we've talked about Roethlisberger's outrageous yards-per-attempt numbers in his short career, and he's up to his old tricks tonight: of his first six completions, three were over 30 yards. And there's a 3rd TD of the first half, this one going for 12 yards to Najeh Davenport. Big Ben increases his Steelers record for passing TDs in a season with an incredible 32.
Rotoworld's update on Willie Parker:
Willie Parker was carted to the locker room Thursday night to have X-rays taken on an injured ankle. He has been declared out for the game. Najeh Davenport is in the game and will play on most downs with third back Gary Russell inactive. It's believed Parker was hurt while picking up a blitzing Brandon Chillar on Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage. He was given crutches while on the X-ray table, so the injury initially appears to be serious.2nd update:
X-rays revealed that Willie Parker suffered a fractured right fibula in Thursday night's game. He will not play again until next season.Pittsburgh has a solid backup in Najeh Davenport, but nothing proven behind him and Davenport is injury prone. The Steelers are less likely to make a long playoff run, but they can rely on the pass. Severities of broken fibulas can vary, so we won't have a good timetable for Parker until more is known. If his ankle is fine, Parker should be able to recover quickly in the offseason.
Santonio Holmes topped the 100-yard mark early in the first half marking the 4th 100-yard game of his career and the 3rd this season.
Word is in that Willie Parker's injury is a fractured fibula, which will keep him out through the playoffs. Najeh Davenport gains quite a bit of value for playoff-leaguers, but Parker should be back to full health by the start of next season. Keep on eye on undrafted rookie Gary Russell to see if gets some playing time next week.
Interesting comments from the NFL.com/Live sideline reporter during the Marshall Faulk jersey retirement ceremony pointing out Faulk's role in fantasy football's contribution to the substantial growth of the NFL over the past 10-15 seasons. He called Marshall Faulk, rightly I think, the most important player of the fantasy football era.
The Steelers' running game hasn't missed a beat with Najeh filling for Willie Parker. Najeh's 123 yards tonight is the best game any RB has had against the Rams defense all season.
Torry Holt is getting into it with head coach Scott Linehan on the sidelines. I guess he isn't taking kindly to the fact that all the balls are heading Isaac Bruce's way this game.
Ben Roethlisberger with his 3rd career perfect game rating, but he's getting his ankle heavily taped and limping noticeably on the sidelines. Sideline reporter noting that even if it was not a kneel down situation, he's not sure Roethlisberger would be going back into the game. Uh-oh. Probably not enough to keep him out of next week's game, but still not good news for the Steelers.
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4 comments:
The last time I had Marshall Faulk on a fantasy team was his rookie year with the Colts. With his second and third years, he was too valuable to get without an early draft pick. After his third injury-plagued year, no one wanted him. His fourth season was mediocre, so again he really wasn't worth it. It was his fifth and last season with the Colts that turned him into a fantasy stud, which he maintained for 4 years straight, thanks to "The Greatest Show on Turf" Rams. You couldn't get him without the first pick in the draft.
Ironically, in most of the 1999 fantasy drafts, Faulk wasn't even one of the top two picks because of his trade to the Rams (no one was sure how the Rams would utilize him, plus they thought his previous season had been a fluke). Instead, most people took either Terrell Davis or Jamal Anderson, both of whom proceeded to get hurt early in the season and miss the rest of the year.
That's interesting, Ed. I remember the 1999 season well. That was the first year of my main dynasty league, and Terrell Davis was the no-brainer #1 overall draft pick. I ended up nabbing the rookie Ricky Williams with the 11th pick in the first round. I remember that as Jamal Anderson's dirty bird follow-up season that crashed hard with the knee injury, just as Terrell Davis' season did. Knee surgery has come along way, baby!
I also remember Faulk as somewhat of a NFL and fantasy disappointment during his time on some awful Indy teams. I don't know why I'm always shocked by conventional wisdom in the NFL, but I was absolutely floored at how low Faulk's NFL trade value was that season. I believe he went to the Rams for a 2nd and a 5th. Unbelievable, especially as he was coming off his best season to date at that point.
Remember watching him at San Diego St.? I used to say that he was the best RB to come into the league since Bo Jackson. Now I say Adrian Peterson is the best back to come into the league since Bo Jackson and probably even better than Bo.
I think Marshall's importance to fantasy football is partially because of his otherworldly TD and receiving numbers with the Greatest Show on Turf, but just as importantly, this was happened right at the height of the internet boom with fantasy football. The hobby just took off and soared right around 1999-2001.
It's funny you mention Faulk at SD State. I do remember seeing him play one game there (I think it was against Air Force on a Thursday night). It was one of those embrassing college games where one player gets the ball all night long and the opposing defense can't do anything to stop him even when they know he's getting it.
As for AP, I think he'll be another Gale Sayers, or Fred Taylor if he's lucky. He'll give us flashes of what he can do until the injuries eventually slow him down.
Fred Taylor got jobbed on the pro-bowl voting this year. He's been the 2nd best RB in the AFC this season.
Still, he's a 10,000 yard career rusher, and he's still nowhere close to ADP's talent level.
Sayers...I never saw him play, but by all accounts he was Peterson-like in that he was simply more talented than everybody else on the field. I just don't believe Peterson is as injury-prone as you make him out to be. I think he's a tough SOB on whom the offense can hang their hat weekly.
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